Chapter 53
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
VIOLET
The clear blue water matches the cloudless sky, stretching along the horizon. The sun warms our skin as a light breeze carries the salty air; the sound of waves crashing against the sand echoes throughout the beach, giving such a calm atmosphere.
“Would you two like another pina colada?” the waiter asks as he grabs our empty glasses.
“Yes,” we both say.
He nods. “I’ll be right back with those.”
“Thank you.”
Ezra reaches his arm over to me and intertwines our hands together. “This is nice.”
It’s May, our birthday month. If you had told me last May that I would be cheated on, lose two friends, and get divorced, I would have laughed and never believed it.
But yet, every time I look back at the year I had, I still can’t believe it.
I can’t believe what I went through and where I’m at today.
When it all happened, I never thought I would get to where I am today, in a happy relationship, and living life to the fullest. I thought that life for me was over.
I thought everything was over, to be honest.
“I’m glad we finally could get away for our birthdays,” I say.
“Me too. I know this is what you wanted to do last year.”
“Yeah. But I’m glad we didn’t then.” He shifts his head over to me, and I catch his gaze. “Because then it wouldn’t have led me to you.”
He kisses me on the top of my hand with a beaming smile.
Surprisingly, Zayn left me alone after he called my parents and told them I was cheating on him.
I still don’t know what stopped him from bugging me.
I wonder if he knew he went too far telling my parents that.
I served him divorce papers, and he complied with everything.
All I asked for was the equity in the house, and he didn’t fight me.
We had hardly anything combined, so it was easy.
When I moved in with Ez, he came and moved all his stuff out, and then I moved all my stuff out and sold the house.
Ezra’s divorce was easy too; Rya never complied with the divorce papers, so the judge granted it.
“Have you heard any updates about the house?” I ask.
He pulls out his phone and goes to his email and reads off the most recent updates. “If all goes well, we should be in there in six months.”
Giving Ezra and I a chance was the best decision I ever made.
He makes me feel safe, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.
With him, I feel seen and deeply loved, and that safety has allowed my trust to open again.
He brings me a sense of peace, with myself and with us, something I never realized was missing until him.
I never went back to my house after showing up at his doorstep.
The house I shared with my ex was something I wanted nothing to do with.
Ezra was right; I needed to start fresh somewhere new.
I didn’t realize how much that house was causing me anxiety until I got out of it.
It was as if the bad energy in there was causing harm to me, and I couldn’t even see it.
The first night I slept at our apartment, I woke up feeling refreshed.
More than I had in a long time. It was a weird feeling.
It felt as if the dark cloud that was hovering over me, over us, was finally lifted and the sun was shining down on us, helping us move forward.
Everything felt so right in that tiny apartment with a mattress on the floor, just the three of us.
We learned right away that Ashur was going to need more space to run around.
He grew so big so fast, and he’s not even a year old yet.
He’s at Ezra’s parents’ house right now while we’re away.
They fell in love with him right away and call him their grandpup.
He even goes over there sometimes so they can spend time with him.
“I can’t wait for our house to be done,” I say.
The waiter comes back around, handing our drinks to us. “Here you two go.”
“Thank you.”
After looking at houses to buy, none of them spoke to us. So we bought a piece of land and got a custom home builder to build us our dream home. It will give Ashur plenty of room to run around and maybe even kids in the near future.
The bakery is still doing great. Liv, Cami, and Brianna are still there. All three of them can run the bakery without me now. But I still go in when we’re open because I enjoy it so much and it doesn’t feel like work to me.
My life is the best it’s ever been, and it’s because of the one man who stood by me while I was broken, and was patient enough to help me heal piece by piece.